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* The Glass factory. *
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@@*=»^,,,, Several Centuries After It Had Last ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, Finally, The Natural End Station For ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, And A Gift Shop. ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, There'S A Long Time Since My Family ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, Considered Poor. ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, Practical. On The Eastern Building, ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, Some Are Shattered. ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, Glass Of Varying Thickness. ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, Other Building. The Contrast Is ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, Windows Are Missing A Pane. ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, However, The Greatest Difference Is The ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, Higher Floors: This Building Has None. ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, Step The Building Starts To Glow, The ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, Lit From Behind. ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, Of Dark Liquid glass. ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, The Levers, Messing Them Up. ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, Drop That Falls Toward The Factory ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, Floor. ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, The Last Of Him Rains Down. ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, Become Still. ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, ** ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ,,,,^»=*@@
@@@*=»^,,, Back At The Factory Floor, But The ,,,^»=*@@@
#@@@*=»^,, Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, ,,^»=*@@@#
##@@@*=»^, Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last ,^»=*@@@##
#@@@*=»^,, Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ,,^»=*@@@#
@@@*=»^,,, Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, ,,,^»=*@@@
@@*=»^,,,, And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ,,,,^»=*@@
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
*=»^,,,,,, Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ,,,,,,^»=*
=»^,,,,,,, The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark ,,,,,,,^»=
»^,,,,,,,, Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And ,,,,,,,,^»
=»^,,,,,,, I See There'S Something Faint Inside ,,,,,,,^»=
*=»^,,,,,, Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ,,,,,,^»=*
@*=»^,,,,, ,,,,,^»=*@
@@*=»^,,,, I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ,,,,^»=*@@
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